Combined shaft journal and drive unit



Oct. 7, 1952 J. D. CHRISTIAN 2,612,788

COMBINED SHAFT JOURNAL AND DRIVE UNIT Filed Jan. 22, 1951 2 saws-swam 1 A TTORNEYS.

Oct. 7, 1952 J. D. CHRISTIAN COMBINED SHAFT JOURNAL AND DRIVE UNIT 2 SHEETSSFEET 2 Filed Jan. 22, 1951 INVENTOR Jagqpiz flemzls flrzsi'z a 17 By (3.1 a? @L ATTORNEYS.

Fig-T1.

Patented Oct. 7, 1952 "UNITED PATENT L'PQFFYICE come-men sneer JOURNAL DRIVE UNIT Joseph Dennis flhristiamlsen Fre eiscq, Calif-Q assignor to The Ameriean Pulley (191119311X,

Philadelphia, ania re, a c rmiraltion 9f Pennsy 7 Application January 22, 1951,- Serial No. 207,170

email ng. (0114-421 r isada-pted to serve both as a journal for one end or ihe shaft of a machine or apparatus to be driven. and esa speed change drive for vthe shaft.

.Heretofore speed change devices, for example a! the typeldi'seloseq: in U. S.- Patent 2,166,661 granted to :me on-May 3 1938, were applied to and supported by the ends of the shafts beyond the eurresponding end Journal beermgs oi: th

machine.

To prevent bodilyroietion vof theclevices abeut the shafts of .the .meehines,v the use 9f torque resisting arms had toihe provided. These arms regmredior their aceemmqdetion, considerable space and made difficult their installatienin ,elusemierters.v I l The chief aim of my invention is .to improve the mountingv and reduce the space requirements and overall weight of such devices This objective is realized in practice. as heremaftez'vmm e with ch t e r s nmnve uon d re t y cemed, is pr en i ely s ate a dras will he presently seen, serves in the place of hue ef the usual bearings of the shaft 9 vof the conrullysethiorth, {chrough ihe provision pi a unitary structure which is vdesigned to serve in .lieupf one of the usual shaft jeurnal beeringeof-cthe machine or epnaratus and in which ran impmvegi I act speed chanee gear mechanism is incorpora-ted .in such a way that the devi ce is] aflrl w d e l itedemeunt .01 universal ovement re compensate-fer shafhflexurerend at mesmerim .is held" egains; bodily ,r0.tat l'0n,-ab0i1tthe shartmithd it-necessitating the use 0.1a restrain;-

mg. or ,mrgiieerm or Lany'othe'r extraneous vqine'ekps st -Fwd i m z ev nie es will appear frdiri'lthefollowing@escription 9f theatrtached drawings wherein:

'b oken out view in iransverse sew.

belt eenveyer t h ie eombihed shaft Journal rend .drive uniteszonveriiently emboplyin my invention.

Bis. 2 a fragmentary .view showing .ihe' or lganlzatienoffig. Lin-top plamahd r 5.3 15.2. fragmentary detail :view in seer-glen taken-es indicate; by the errews' ill-e111 in more speeifie referen e first; more paeticulerly i0 Fig. e he nwherels 5 end. 6 ,deslg: the .top e-longitudinals of-gone of .t heiside frames of the eonveyer -strueture and the mi eral 1, one ref :theengl drums er pulleys about which ;the :belt; 8 Qrdinerily, th pul y shame,isjburnalled rat opposite ends ;i n--:beering smacks such as linea ene shown 18$ 10.

in 1.a.s,semb y by esto ieollar 3 -whi 1ihreesieslly en a s e i and uts the; l drivewunifo J25 -the beaiih gis. ,Eora;pu.rppse ;la.pe;;e

veyer apparatus. Except as later pointed out the device H is generally similar to the one diselosed in my pet nt'he e nbe rei -r e 'to in th t it has a casing .i rmed by t o mpleme te seeti ns. 12 and fiwh eh a ut n, the pla e 11 and which are detee ably l t geth r by .mee,..$ :oi "sc e bol s gm? illus rated ee pv danee with the p esent inve t o thep wer i pui shaft is of th de i e zis etet e y support d y ball bea n s l6 and. H resp ctively-s t i iqen 9m n ing 18 ih side well 19 .o t e eas ng section ill-a d into an a igned en ng 2.0 aew lp 2,! e2;- i ndine, in d y fr m said we imed 1'0 11 input-shaft; I5 inthe interval between me hear,- ine and 1, is. e t oth d P ni 2. meshes w e-iooth d gea on e ee nte shefi 2 he qf h n s a ri urnal ed. in hearin s 2 6- and 271 respeetively recessedinlgp the sidewallformed with said eel .30., which ecteriil di hed in press section i9 'e eommeda-te t e w b exte sion 2.! ihecasig'section i z. :Due tmthis 111 .1 p oved :censtmebion Lane arran ement. :ihe en elo'sed parts arebrought :mto eloseerelailenehd require but a minimum amount of spaceforiheir eeeommodatmn, the unit as e Whele being the :by rendered more compact-and he ce lighter weight as eompared with myn qr patented speed han e device. IIZhe putnui shaft ,3 I, extends t9 ehe xteriqr'ihrpu hecomparatively-longlat ral l yrojecting .bess 3:2 Qnihe end-well 2.8 of nee;- rin -section 1.3, a d:isrotetivelysupp rtedinsulleabkweH-spaeed ant firici0nbe r1n s33 whic mr example av he ef-ihe Thai bass. .Alse as shew :iz e b arings 5313.; fl ere separated :by :spaeer ring .35 fixed. .beth egeihst rotation and axial ifitin by :a set :SCIfiW .Aaspl tin zring enga ed within-e um:- femniiel groove interna ly Q the 1 112 boss 13.2, is're ed. 11110 ;to hQId-ihe hearings-Belated 34 in-place. ,Z Lhe utput shaft 36. is maintained The key H is secured against displacement byset screws 42,

and 43 respectively in the hollow output shaft 3| and in a flange head 44 at the outer end of the sleeve 40. If a certain amountof relative axial movement should be desired',the set screw-42 may be omitted and the key 4| otherwise fixed against endwise shifting in respect to shaft 9. In practice, the casing of the device. is partly filled with lubricatin oil or grease which is prevented from escaping by sealing collars 45 and46 disposed within the outer ends of the bearing openings in the casing sections-l2 and I3-through whichopenings the input and output shafts l5 and 3| extend, and also by a disk 46 force-fitted into the hollow of the output shaft-adjacent its inner end;

Also incorporated in my improved shaft journal and drive unit is a bearing support in --the form of a'bracket 50 of which the bore is made "spherical to receive the boss 32 of the device ll witha snug-working fit; As shown, thebracket 50 is of muItipartite construction, said bracket comprising'a'lower or base component Stand a top orstrap component 52 which meet in a horizontal pla'ne'through the axis of the boss 32. Obviously 'the-bearingbracket may be otherwise split'to make insertion of the boss 32 possible, as well as otherwise secured to the framework of the machine to be driven. In the present instance,the bearing bracket 50 is secured in place by-screw bolts 53passed through pre-allocated registering apertures respectively in the late'rally projecting feet 54 of the'top component'i'n the 'ends' o'f' the base component 5|, andin-thetop flange of thechannel beam 6 ofthe conveyer apparatus. Bodily rotation of the device H" about the axis of the pulley shaft'Q is prevented, inaccorda-nce with'my invention, by'aradial lug=55 onthe boss 32 which; lug extends downinto 9.

- 'sornewhatlarger' central aperture 56 the base component 5| of bracket 50. l P owe'rmaybe applied to the input shaft I5 of the device H in any suitable orconvenient Way, for example as shown in Fig. 2, through a multiple'belt and pulley connection 51 from an electric motor 58." J

lrrtheillustrated instance, the propor'tioning ofthegears 22, 23 and29, 30 of the tw'o'sets is such that the pulley shaft 9 will be driven at a speed considerablyreduced from that of the input-shaft l5. As alreadypointed out, bodilyrotatio'n of thedevice about the axis of shaft-'9 is prevented through cooperation of the=lug 55 on the-projecting-boss 32'- of the casing with the opening=56 in the'base members 5 l of the bracket 50. However, 'since the opening 56- issomewhat larger than the 1ug 55,--the device 'I I is supported with capacity forlimited universal play, by'reasonof the spherical inter engagement of the boss 32 of its casing within thebracket 50, to compensatefor any flexure of the shaft 9 which-may be occasioned by lateral pull of the drive belts 51. The extended boss 32 on the casingpermits the use of a longer output shaft 3| than would otherwise be possible, to embrace a correspondingly greater length of the pulley shaft 9 and thus proof its support. Accordingly, undef'th'ese conditions, fiexure of the driven pulley shaft 9 will be i practically negligible, with consequent avoidance of undue strains therein and binding thereof in the bearing block I0.

It is to be understood that the various gears embodied in the device-may be either of the plain spurv varietypr they may be of the helix angle, helical or of the herringbone types, and moreover, that they may be proportioned for speed .increaseatransmission rather than for speed reduction if desired, without departing from the spirit'of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In acombined substitute shaft bearing and drive unit, a powered speed-change devicehaving a casing with a lateral projection'zit one 'side thereof, an output shaft extending through the projection for telescopic connection to one end of the shaft of 'a"machine to be driven, a'""pa'ir of longitudinally-spaced bearings for'said output shaft'within said projection} a -1; ow'ered' input shaft extending through another" part-of thec'asing, ands'pee'd change gear connectionswithin the casingbe'tween said'output and=input Shafts; and a bracket with means for securing it 'to-a frame portion of the machine inwhichthe'lateral projection on the casing is'engageddor support of the unit cantilever fashion with capacity'ior limited'universal movementof the unit incident to flexur'e-of-the driven shaft.

2. A combined substitute shaftbearing'jand drive u nit,'according to claim 1, further including means operative between the support and the unit to prevent bodily rotation of'the latter about the shaft'of the machine. 3 A combined substitute shaftb'earing an'd drive unit, according to claim 1, wherein the' lat eral projection on the'casing of the unit is spheri caland en'gaged witha'snug working fit in a correspondingly-configured bore in the'bracket.

f1. v combined substitute shaft-"bearing nd drive unit, according to claim l wherein the me eral-projection onthe casing off'the'unit is'spherl ofs'aid unit about the aria/en ma.

5. A comb ined substituteshaft bearing, nd drive unit, according toclaim' 1, wherein the 'input shaft is axially aligned'with theoutput'sl'iaft;

"wherein the input shaft'fis rotativelysupported in' an, opposite side-wall of the casing an'dalso in a fixed bearing internally 'of the casing spaced from said opposite sidewall; and wherein'ithe gearing includes a gear wheel' on the input shaft in the" zone between the wall "and sai'd'inzternal bearing, an intermeshing gear wheell'on a parallei shaft within the casing. and" a second gear wheel "on theparallel' shaft in mesh with-a 'JgearWheeI on'the inner end of the output shaft,

axially dished when v shaft. "6'. A combined 'substituteshaft bearing and drive unit, according to claimf 1', wherein "the lateral projection'onfth c'asing of the unit is spherical and engages with a snug working fit in a correspondingly configured bore in the bracket and wherein the support is split with its components meeting irr'a plane through the axis of the spherical projection on the casing of the unit.

JOSEPH DENNIS CHRISTIAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 10 Number Name Date Carter -t. Mar. 2, 1926 Morison -1 July 5, 1927 Harkness Aug. 8, 1933 Christian Jan. 7, 1936 Christian Feb. 15, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Oct. 2, 1934 

